My goal is to show girls that I'm fighting so they don't have to

Hear now the words of Alex Morgan, champion of the field and voice for justice, who declared: “My goal is to show girls that I’m fighting so they don’t have to, so they don’t have to fight the same battles, so they don’t have to fight for wage equality or whatever it may be.” In these words shines not only the spirit of the athlete, but the spirit of the guardian—one who fights not only for her own crown, but for the freedom of those who come after her. Her words echo the eternal truth: that the battles of one generation, if fought bravely, may spare the next from the same chains.

She speaks first of the fight, for equality is never freely given; it is seized through struggle, courage, and persistence. Morgan, famed striker of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, fought not only for victories upon the pitch but also for fairness beyond it. She and her teammates demanded wage equality, challenging the long shadow of discrimination that paid women less though they brought greater glory to their nation than their male counterparts. In this struggle, she did not think of herself alone, but of the countless girls who would follow, who deserved to step onto fields where justice already reigned.

This cry belongs to a lineage stretching back through history. Consider the suffragettes of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. They endured prison, ridicule, and scorn so that their daughters might one day cast a vote without fear. Or recall Rosa Parks, who in refusing to surrender her seat ignited a movement that carried her people forward, sparing future generations from the humiliation of segregation. In Morgan’s vow we hear the same ancient promise: “I will carry the burden now, so that you, my daughters, need not carry it later.”

The meaning deepens when we see the word goal—a fitting metaphor from one who lives within the sport. For her purpose is not only to play, not only to win trophies, but to set a mark upon the horizon, a destination for others to run toward. She shows the young that their lives need not be consumed with the same struggles, that they may spend their strength on creation, on joy, on excellence, rather than wasting it on barriers that should never have existed. Her fight is an offering, a gift to the future.

But let us not forget the lesson hidden here: progress is never automatic. If no one fights, injustice endures. Each generation must have its warriors who step into the arena and say, “Enough.” Morgan’s struggle for wage equality is not merely about dollars, but about dignity, about teaching the world that women’s labor is as valuable, as noble, as worthy of reward as that of men. If she wins, her daughters, and the daughters of countless others, will inherit a world where they may run unburdened.

O children of tomorrow, learn from this: do not fear the fight if it is for justice, but also remember that to fight well is to fight for more than oneself. Strive not only for your own victory, but for the lifting of others. Let your victories be seeds planted in the soil of the future, that others may harvest peace where you sowed struggle. This is the noblest calling of all—sacrifice now so that others may flourish later.

What then must you do? In your own life, ask: what chains will I break so others need not bear them? Whether in workplace, school, or home, resist injustice, not only for your sake but for those who will come after. Support those who labor for fairness, and when your voice is called for, raise it. In this way, like Morgan, you too can leave a legacy of battles fought and won, so that the next generation may live freer than the last.

Thus, Alex Morgan’s words resound as both promise and charge. She fights so that others may rest, she strives so that others may create, she carries the weight so others may soar. Remember this lesson: the measure of greatness is not only in personal triumph, but in what you leave behind for those who follow. To fight for equality is to build a bridge for the future, and to cross that bridge together is the true victory of humankind.